What is the biggest fear that people experience in their weight loss journey ? It is the fear of changing the current lifestyle that many of us are leading which can include , Unhealthy Snacking , Adopting an exercise routine , Following a diet that restricts us from eating our favorite foods and not being able to eat outside frequently .
Also there are some common myths that people have in their mind about weight loss –
- Avoiding Carbohydrates and cutting it completely out from your diet will help in weight loss
- Completely avoiding Sugar
- No cheat days
- Exercise should be done only in the morning
- Fad Diets also called as shortcut diets work
- Skipping meals will help in weight loss
The above mentioned points are a big NO! How long can you actually continue living on shortcut diets? How long can you completely avoid sugar? Will you never eat Cake or chocolates? Will you never include Roti and Rice in your diet as they have carbohydrates that will lead to weight gain! This is something that you cannot continue for a long term and never start something that you cannot be consistent with.
Always remember weight loss should become a part of your daily routine. Once this happens losing weight will no longer be a burden for you. I am at that stage of my life wherein I feel guilty if I don’t exercise or follow my healthy routine. How was this possible? By adopting a routine that I could consistently follow for a year, by being flexible and instead of cutting down on my favourite food items having everything in moderation.
I am going to suggest some healthy lifestyle changes that you can adopt in your weight loss journey. These changes will not feel like a burden and you will also be able to continue it for a long term. Consistency is the key to achieve your dream body.
- The first and the most important thing you need to do is create a positive mindset and believe in yourself! When I started I was 69kgs and it almost felt like an impossible task to even lose 10kgs at that point because of these common myths that I had about weight loss. I was able to lose weight at home without going to gym or without adopting any shortcut diets by believing in me and rewarding myself with a cheat day every week to keep me motivated.
- Keeping a count on the calories that you consume throughout the day will help you in losing weight. Calculate what your maintenance calories are. Your body requires certain calories to perform basic body functions such as energy conversion, muscle movement to name a few. The energy that is required to perform such functions is called maintenance calories. If you want to lose weight try eating a deficit of at least 400 to 500 calories than your maintenance calories. This will help you in losing weight.
You can use the following link to calculate your maintenance calories: https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/maintenance-calorie
- Keep yourself hydrated and have water at regular intervals. Don’t force yourself to have water when you don’t feel thirsty. You can also keep yourself hydrated by having fluids like coconut water, water with Chia seeds, Lemon water and Buttermilk.
- Walk for short distances. Instead of taking the bike or your car you can walk instead and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
- Always use the stairs instead of the elevator. Climbing stairs can be very good full body workout.
- Exercise whenever you find time! Yes workout in the morning is very effective but not everyone can find the time to work out in the morning. My exercise routine is working out every evening before dinner. But follow some form of physical activity.
- Cannot workout for 30 minutes straight? No issues! Workout for 15 Mins in the morning or afternoon and then 15 Mins in the evening until your body gets used to exercising. Break down the exercise schedule but be consistent with it.
- Try having water 30 minutes before every meal to help with digestion.
- Do not cut down completely on carbohydrates or sugar. You cannot continue such a diet for a long term. You body needs carbohydrates and fat to function. Try having a balanced diet. One spoon of sugar in your tea or coffee is not going to harm you! I always had my tea with sugar. I also had Rice and Roti but in moderation which was in my count of the calories that I should consume in a day. Moderation is something you need to consider when it comes to weight loss.
I have uploaded a video on my YouTube Channel describing my diet. You can go have a look at it if you haven’t already.
- Reward yourself with Cheat Days. My Cheat day is every Sunday and I eat whatever I feel like having. This keeps me motivated to follow a healthy diet for the next 6 days of the week.
- Try avoiding unnecessary fried items and desserts on regular week days and push all these items for your Cheat Day. Replace all Fried snacks with Healthy Snacking options Like Makhana and Chia Pudding
Makhana Recipe
Chia Pudding Recipe
- Avoid eating anything in the night after your dinner
- Try fasting for at least 12 hours before you have your breakfast in the Morning.
- Give your body the required time to start seeing results. Some people start seeing results in a month some in Three months some in Six months. But you will definitely start seeing results if you are consistent with your weight loss process. And once you start seeing results you need no external motivation for weight loss.
- Last but not the least end your day with a good 30 to 45 minutes walk after a gap of 60 minutes of Dinner. Walking is very effective when it comes to weight loss and this will also help in digesting the food that you have consumed before you go to sleep.
Adopt these small lifestyle changes in your daily routine to start seeing the difference. These changes are nothing when compared to the results that you can achieve. Always think about the bigger picture when you feel de-motivated that why you started your weight loss journey in the first place and the answer to it will be the solution to help you overcome your fear and pain points to start living a healthy lifestyle.
If you find this post useful do comment and leave your views to help me understand you better and create content accordingly.
